4. Parties and the Collapse of Institutions

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, we provide an overview of what’s going on in Irish politics as of 2019, focusing in particular on: (i) the major political parties in Northern Ireland; (ii) the impact of the ‘cash for ash’ scandal; (iii) the continued tensions in Northern Ireland between; and (iv) the future of politics in Northern Ireland, in the light of growing (electoral) support for Sinn Fein and Britain’s upcoming exit from the European Union.

Course

In this course, Dr Catherine McGlynn (University of Huddersfield) explores the politics of Northern Ireland, from the opening of the first Northern Irish Parliament in 1921 to the present day. We begin in the first module by tracing the history of conflict in Northern Ireland up to the collapse of the Sunningdale Agreement in 1974. After that, we think about the Troubles, focusing on the key questions of why they broke out and why they came to an end. In the third module, we think about the development of devolution in Ireland, culminating in the 2006 St Andrews Agreement, before turning in the fourth and final module to think about the state of Northern Irish politics today, focusing in particular on the major political parties in Northern Ireland and prospects for the future.

Lecturer

Dr Catherine McGlynn is Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of Huddersfield. Her research interests encompass terrorism, British politics and national conflicts.